Homeopathy: Do people even know what it is?
July 16th, 2007
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The word Homeopathy comes up a lot in alternative medicine, quackery, “natural” products, but do most people in the general public even know what it means? Despite the fact that it’s been all the rage amongst quacks… um… alternative healers, I doubt most people even know what it is. In a rather unscientific survey, I asked about a dozen people I know and not one of them got it right. Most people think homeopathy means “natural” or “herbal”. It doesn’t.
Homeopathy, for those who do not know, is the belief that substances which cause symptoms will produce the opposite effect, thus being able to treat the symptoms, if administered in tiny doses, with the properties and healing powers becoming stronger the more they are diluted. Therefore, if you, for example, had a sore throat, the homeopathic cure would be simply to give you something that would give you a sore throat (such as some kind of acid) but dilute it to a part per billion or less. In fact, it is often diluted to the point where no detectable molecules of the initial ingredient is present. Homeopaths claim that it still works because water has a “memory” of the ingredient.
While I am all about free trade and free expression, the government already requires products to be labeled with certain consumer information. Examples of this range from tobacco to drugs, to foods that may contain allergens to products that may contain enviornmental hazards. It’s entirely reasonable to expect that consumers be informed on certain things. So why not homeopathic products? Since they get a free pass from the FDA, I propose that they be labeled. Something like this would work:
Of course this would likely kill the sales of these products. With such tiny amounts of active ingredients, and given that the very concept (which dates back to the early 1800’s) has been debunked many times and lacks even the slightest scientific evidence, it’s not surprising that most homeopathic products would not come out and say what they are. All indications are that they are, at best, placebos. It’s not hard to realize that if you take an active agent, and dilute it beyond detection, even beyond a single molecule existing in a preparation, that something illogical is going on. After all, why not drink any water then? Since water is constantly recycled through precipitation, evaporation and ocean flow, it would be even more diluted!
“Unless the laws of chemistry have gone awry, most homeopathic remedies are too diluted to have any physiological effect….”
—Consumer Reports (January 1987)
It’s worth noting that homeopathic is not related to vaccinations or other treatments which give small, controlled doses of substances such as dead or altered viruses. These treatments are not simply diluted beyond detection, but are controlled amounts of substances, designed to help your body “recognize” or develop a resistance to certain pathogens or substances. This line of logic is sometimes put forth by homeopaths, but it’s entirely irrelevant and has been dealt with before.
It’s not really a two-sided issue, when it comes to homeopathy. Science and basic logic predicts it would not work. No evidence exists that it does work. It’s rejected by every major medical and scientific body. The evidence is about as lopsided as the flat-earth s. round earth debate. (note: Round earth does not imply perfectly spherical)
But don’t take my word for it. Afterall, I’m not a doctor. However, I do know when something doesn’t pass the “Just plain ridiculous” test. And the info is entirely consistant with what professionals have to say. (That’s the difference between science and bad science. I’m more than happy to have my facts checked out)
More recommended reading:
http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/homeo.html (Quackwatch is a great site for info on questionable medical practices)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeopathy (an unusually good article on a controversial topic in Wiki)
http://skepdic.com/homeo.html
This entry was posted on Monday, July 16th, 2007 at 9:24 am and is filed under Bad Science, Politics, Quackery. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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July 16th, 2007 at 9:33 am
This is terrible. There are people out there who could have their lives saved by a product, or at the very least, improved, and here comes this guy and say “Oh don’t even try it. I know what’s best for you.”
Then he says “Oh look at my facts… check it out” and provides links to totally anti-homeopathy sites? That’s not fair at all.
people have the right to use any medicine that helps them, even if doctors would love to keep it from them, so they make money
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July 16th, 2007 at 10:17 am
Wonder how much mony this idiot has in the drug stocks. Yeah, sure you can go tell people to not do something because it’s natural or whatever. That doesn’t mean it’s not bull. Why don’t you consider what others think ok?
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July 16th, 2007 at 11:43 am
Okay, well lets look at the logic here then. Homeopathy basically says that you will be healthier if you have less chemicals and that it’s diluted so that what you take is basically pure. But the government scientists and doctors want to say “Oh no. More chemicals are good for you.”
This has been said for a long time and that’s why we have microwaves and cell phones and plastic and chemicals and artificial foods and then we wonder why everyone is getting cancer? No, it makes sense that chemicals make you sick and if you have cancer, then maybe it’s too late to go with nature and homeopathy, because you are already full of chemicals.
but so what if homeopathy can’t cure things? Wouldn’t it be better if you never got it in the first place. I think that’s key, but nobody makes money when everyone is happy and healthy. Maybe you should think things through. Because every time somebody gets sick they want more pills and more chemicals. Cancer they give you cemo, which is poison and radiation and then wonder why it doesn’t work? maybe because everyone is brainwashed.
Ur entitled to your opinion, but I think you are just falling into a trap and I would not be surprised if you don’t last long or get sick from your love of chemicals and poison.
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July 16th, 2007 at 1:08 pm
I love the above comments. Talk about lacking critical thinking skills!
The junk is just water, with some other non-active ingredients. You can take tap water, and get the EXACT SAME EFFECT as with homeopathic snake oil. Ever hear of the placebo effect, kiddies? Read up on it, do some real research, engage your brains as more than a hat rack. The public is being duped, and you’re defending it. Way to go, morons!
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July 16th, 2007 at 9:46 pm
I wrote a bit about Homeopathy a while back. Serial Delusions. I didn’t get as many loonies as you commenting, though. Must be that AOL screen name requirement.
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July 17th, 2007 at 2:00 am
There are few things more tragic than watching on helplessly as a seriously sick person opts to take the tap water treatment over one that has been tested and approved for use. Maybe some day the message will get through and people will stop wasting their money on make believe medicine.
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July 17th, 2007 at 12:07 pm
It’s really sad when you see a bunch of people, with some kind of illness looking desperately for a cure and having to recurre to a scam like Homeopathy. It’s dangerous, some perfectly easy to cure illness could be treated fast and succesfully but in loosing a precious time over a funny treatment like plain water they jeopardize their health and even risk of dead.
Of course, anybody who depends on that scam called homeopathy will cry out loud that whoever who’s against that practice is paid by the big pharma monsters… is that all you can do? Can’t you provide with a clear and demonstrable test to prove that homeopathy does really work? Oh, so, you can’t? Why am I not surprised?
And, hence, you recurre to the disqualification and the victimicism. and to continue to live on people’s anguish… just like vultures
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July 17th, 2007 at 6:31 pm
To be honest, I had no idea that was homeopathy means. I never thought about it but I thought it meant traditional or natural or something like that. I found this hard to believe, but I checked out the links.
Wow, that is what it means and there is a whole council out which promotes homeopathy and they say the exact same thing, despite it being so illogical.
I can’t believe that I didn’t even realize this. Thanks for getting out the word. Why don’t they ever say that in plain english?
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